Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus including a game board having playing piece receiving areas in the form of a finite number of openings arranged in rows with generally frustoconical pockets depending from the openings and terminating in a reduced neck. The pockets have upright slits therein so that the walls defining the pockets are yieldable. The game apparatus further includes a chance device for determining the location of a playing piece and playing pieces of a size and shape slightly larger than the terminal end of the pockets so that they may be held therein but may be pushed through the yieldable walls of the pocket responsive to a force applied to a playing piece.

ilnited States Paten Breslow 1 Dec. 12, 1972 [54] BOARD GAME APPARATUS [7 2] Inventor: Jeffrey D. Breslow, Chicago, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Marvin Glass 8: Associates [22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 98,291

6/1952 Great Britain 273/135 B Great Britain ..2 73/12 [5 7 ABSTRACT A game apparatus including a game board having playing piece receiving areas in the form of a finite number of openings arranged in rows with generally frustoconical pockets depending from the openings and terminating in a reduced neck. The pockets have upright slits therein so that the walls defining the pockets are yieldable. The game apparatus further includes a chance device for determining the location of a playing piece and playing pieces of a size and shape slightly larger than the terminal end of the pockets so that they may be held therein but may be pushed through the yieldable walls of the pocket responsive to a force applied to a playing piece.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures BOARD GAME APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to game devices.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art There are many types of games in the art which require the alignment of playing pieces or markers in a given row for the successful play or the completion of the game. One of the best known versions of this type of game is that commonly referred to as Tic-Tac- Toe. Another version of this type of game is the well known game of Bingo.

In the typical play of such games, playing pieces or markers are arranged responsive to the dictates of some chance device. When the sought after alignment of the playing pieces is reached, then one of the participants is either victorious or has successfully completed one stage of the game. Few, if any, of these types of games utilize the concept of the removal or displacement of a playing piece or marker from the area assigned to it as a result of a chance device as an element of the game. This invention is directed to providing an alignment type wherein the playing piece or marker may be displaced from its assigned area during the play of the game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed, in brief, to the provision of an improved game of the type wherein the playing pieces or markers are to be aligned in a given row responsive to the dictates of a chance device.

The best mode currently contemplated for carrying out the invention includes the provision of a game board having a plurality of openings arranged in rows across the game board. Each opening has a depending frustoconical pocket with longitudinal slits therein, and terminates in a reduced neck or opening. Preferably, the reduced opening of the pocket is slightly smaller than the intended preferred marble-like playing piece to be used therewith. A chance device is provided for determining the location of the playing pieces on the game board as the game progresses. During the play of the game, the playing pieces may be displaced outwardly through the bottom of the pocket responsive to pressure applied thereto which causes the sides of the pocket to yield and permit the playing piece to pass through the expanded open end of the pocket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of the game apparatus of the game of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged section view through a portion of the game board of this invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the game apparatus of this invention; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the chance device utilized with the game apparatus of this invention.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a specific embodiment therefor, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The game 10 of this invention includes a game board generally indicated 12. Preferably, the game board is formed of a suitably rigid material, such as a hard plastic or the like. Game board 12 includes a top 14 and depending side walls, such as 16 and 18, which hold the top 14 elevated relative to a supporting surface. The side walls 16 and 18 terminate at a horizontally outwardly extending leg-like portion, such as 20 and 22, which combine with upstanding flanges 24 and 26, respectively, to form a playing piece or ball receiving channel.

Preferably, the playing pieces utilized with the game of this invention are marble-like elements 28. At the several corners of the game board, the panels defined by the leg portions, such as 20 and 22, and the flanges 24 and 26, may be divided by an upstanding diametri cally extending rib 30.

The game board has a plurality of openings 32 thereon, with the openings arranged in rows extending in two directions, generally perpendicular to each other. The edges of the top 14 of the game board 12 adjacent the walls 16 and 18 are provided with indicia for specifically identifying each of the holes 32 in the game board. For example, on the edge adjacent the wall 16 there are provided numerical indicia 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, 34e, 34f, being the numerals 1 through 6, respectively. Similarly, along the edge of top 14 adjacent wall 18, there are provided letter indicia 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, and 36f, being the letters A through F. Thus, each opening in the game board can be positively identified by means of the grid system established by the indicia 34a through 34f and 36a through 36f.

Chance means are provided for determining the specific opening into which a playing piece 28 is to be deposited. As shown in FIG. 4, in the preferred embodiment, the chance means take the form of a die 38 and a die 40. The die 38 has letters thereon, including the letters indicated at 360, 36c and 36e, corresponding to the letters A through F. Similarly, the die 40 has numerals thereon, including the numerals 34a, 34d and 34e, corresponding to the numerals 1 through 6 respectively. The other letters and numerals on the die 38 and die 40, respectively, are shown on the other facets thereof, not illustrated in FIG. 4.

Each of the openings 32 has pocket means 44 depending therefrom. In the illustrated embodiment, the pocket means is shown as being substantially rigid and being generally frustoconical in shape, depending from the underside of the top 14. Each of the pockets 44 includes a substantially closed bottom 46 defined by the reduced neck portion 48. In other words, the neck portion 48 is slightly smaller in cross section than the diameter of the playing pieces 28 so as to normally hold the playing pieces 28 within the pocket.

Each pocket 44 further terminates in a downwardly and outwardly diverging skirt portion 50 having an open end 500. The frustoconical side walls of the pockets, including the diverging skirt portion, are provided with longitudinally extending slits 52 so as to make the side walls of the pocket yieldable. This provides a means for enlarging the area of the reduced neck 48 so as to permit the playing pieces 28 to pass therethrough. The pockets are of lesser vertical extent than the side walls 16 and 18 so that the bottoms of the pockets are spaced above a supporting surface on which the game board rests.

To play the game, each of the players is provided with a specific number of playing pieces 28 and may deposit the same in the tray area adjacent the side of the board. Players take turns throwing the pair of dice 38 and 40 and depositing the playing pieces through the opening 32 dictated by the throw of the dice 38 and 40. The object of the game is for the players to get a specific number of their own playing pieces located in a row. To aid in the play of the game, the playing pieces for each of the players may be of different colors. If a player deposits his playing piece in a wrong opening, then that playing piece is forfeited and pushed on through the pocket 44 by pressing down on the playing piece 28 to cause the side walls of the pocket to spread apart and permit the egress of the playing piece 28 through the opening 50a.

If the throw of the dice indicates that a playing piece is to be deposited in an opening in which one playing piece has already been deposited, the game may take one of two variations. One variation is that the later designated playing piece is entitled to the occupation of the pocket 44 and that the earlier deposited playing piece is thus forced outwardly through the bottom of the pocket by pressing downwardly on the playing piece, thereby causing the side walls of the pocket to diverge and permit deposit of the later playing piece. Another variation is that the second or later designated playing piece is not entitled to occupy the pocket occupied by the previously designated playing piece.

Thus, the game of this invention is an unusual variation of a row-type alignment game, providing the additional element of displacement of one of the playing pieces positioned during the play of the game. The structure provided for accomplishing this displacement is capable of temporary retention of the playing piece until such displacing action is imparted to the playing piece.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as some modifications may be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A game device comprising: a plurality of generally spherical playing pieces having a diameter; a game board including a playing piece receiving area, depending side walls having a bottom for supporting the game board elevated relative to a supporting surface, a plurality of playing piece receiving pockets depending from said board in said playing piece receiving area, said pockets being aligned with openings formed in the board and arranged in transverse and vertical rows, each pocket opening and each board opening being larger than the diametral dimension of said playing pieces and said pockets tapering to a reduced neck smaller than the diametral dimension of said playing pieces, said neck being yieldable to permit the passage of said playing pieces therethrough responsive to force applied to playing pieces, said pockets terminating a distance above the bottom of said side walls.

2. The game device of claim 1 wherein said playing piece receiving area is provided with one set of indicia forthe vertical rows of ockets fand a second set of indicta for the horizonta rows 0 pockets and wherein the game device further includes chance means having one set of indicia corresponding to one set of indicia on said game board and another set of indicia corresponding to the other set of indicia on the game board. 

1. A game device comprising: a plurality of generally spherical playing pieces having a diameter; a game board including a playing piece receiving area, depending side walls having a bottom for supporting the game board elevated relative to a supporting surface, a plurality of playing piece receiving pockets depending from said board in said playing piece receiving area, said pockets being aligned with openings formed in the board and arranged in transverse and vertical rows, each pocket opening and each board opening being larger than the diametral dimension of said playing pieces and said pockets tapering to a reduced neck smaller than the diametral dimension of said playing pieces, said neck being yieldable to permit the passage of said playing pieces therethrough responsive to force applied to playing pieces, said pockets terminating a distance above the bottom of said side walls.
 2. The game device of claim 1 wherein said playing piece receiving area is provided with one set of indicia for the vertical rows of pockets and a second set of indicia for the horizontal rows of pockets and wherein the game device further includes chance means having one set of indicia corresponding to one set of indicia on said game board and another set of indicia corresponding to the other set of indicia on the game board. 